15 Amazing MLB Stats of the Week: April 22-28

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Highlighting the most important, intriguing and bizarre stats in baseball.

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Big Papi returns, Mo Rivera keeps saving games, cleanup hitters are failing and NO. 8 are awaiting. All this and more Amazing Stats this week.</p>

Each week during the 2013 MLB season, we highlight the most important, intriguing and bizarre stats in baseball.

.516 David Ortiz’s Batting Average
Big Papi is back and the Red Sox are loving it. Already in first place in the AL East, Boston received a lift when Ortiz returned recently. He’s hit safely in all eight games he’s played batting .516 and driving in 11 runs. Dating to last July 2, the slugger has a 20-game hitting streak and is batting .471 during the stretch with a .743 slugging percentage and .558 OBP.

39 Strikeouts by Braves hitters during weekend at Detroit
The Tigers swept the Braves and Detroit pitchers dominated Atlanta hitters. Led by Anibal Sanchez’s 17 whiffs — a single-game franchise record — on Friday night, the Tigers’ pitchers held Atlanta to a .186 average and just five walks in the series.

37:1 Strikeout-to-walk ratio for Adam Wainwright
The Cardinals’ ace set a modern record with 35 strikeouts to start the season before issuing his first walk. Through the week, he had four wins, 37 Ks and just one walk. Not since the dead ball era has a pitcher won 20 games and finished the season with more wins than walks.

.177 Yankees shortstops’ batting average
Just how much do the Yankees miss Derek Jeter? This season Yankee shortstops are batting a combined .177 with just one home run, seven RBIs and seven runs. Last season at the end of April, Jeter was hitting .389 with four homers, 13 RBIs and 16 runs.

12 Homers for the Marlins and Justin Upton
Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins ended his home run drought over the weekend with a clout on Saturday and two on Sunday. Those were his first homers of the season and tied the Marlins with Justin Upton of the Braves with 12 this season.

.151 Cubs batting average with RISP
There must be something about Chicago this season. The White Sox own the lowest mark in the American League at .188.

9 Saves for Mariano Rivera
With three saves last week, Rivera has nine this season. Only once (2011) in his Hall of Fame career has Rivera had nine saves in April prior to this season. The Sandman just keeps going and going and going.

.143 Combined batting average for Adam LaRoche, Adam Dunn and B.J. Upton
The trio will make a combined $37 million this season. They are currently batting a combined .143 with 11 homers and 24 RBIs. The home run and RBI totals would rank second and fourth in the majors, respectively.

34 At-bats with RISP for Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera
Last season’s American League Triple Crown winner is batting .500 with 23 RBIs in those situations. With two outs and runners in scoring position, his average jumps to .615.

14 At-bats with RISP for Paul Konerko of the White Sox
Like Cabrera, Chicago’s first baseman is batting .500 in those situations, but has just 11 RBIs.

.198 Kansas City cleanup hitters batting average
The Royals are one of the most improved teams in the majors this season. While most teams expect their cleanup hitters to produce runs, especially with the long ball, the Royals are getting very little production. At the end of the week, No. 4 hitters for K.C. were hitting .198 with no home runs and just six RBIs.

0 Home runs by cleanup hitters against Detroit pitchers
Through 24 games, Detroit pitchers have given up 12 home runs, but none of them were hit by opposing cleanup hitters in their 88 at-bats.

5 Home runs for Brandon Crawford
Not Buster Posey or Pablo Sandoval, and not even Hunter Pence was leading the Giants in home runs by week’s end. It was shortstop and No. 8 hitter Brandon Crawford who led the Giants with five homers. Crawford had just seven career homers coming into this season.

1.54 ERA for Matt Harvey
The Mets’ Harvey is 4-0, and lest you think this might have something to do with pitcher-friendly Citi Field, the rest of the Mets’ staff is 6-13 with a 4.88 ERA.

3.14 ERA of the Chicago Cubs rotation
While this speaks well for the Cubs’ starters, their 5-12 record speaks volumes about the Cubs’ anemic offense.

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